The Glenrothes Extraordinary CaskSimply yet accurately named, The Glenrothes Extraordinary Cask is just that—extraordinary. Distilled on July 6, 1970, this whisky, endowed with hints of toffee, chocolate, and citrus, is in keeping with The Glenrothes’s philosophy of only bottling a single malt when it is at the peak of flavor, rather than striving for a specific number of years. The single cask from which the whisky was drawn, number 10573, was an ex-bourbon hogshead and yielded only 179 bottles, 50 of which have been allocated for the United States. The whisky itself is housed in a hand-blown leaded-crystal decanter mounted with an individually numbered brass plaque and contained in a handcrafted leather suitcase. The Extraordinary Cask is the first in The Glenrothes’s forthcoming series of single-cask bottlings of vintages from the late 1960s and early 1970s. ($5,000)

Glenfiddich 1974 Vintage ReserveThe latest offering from the Glenfiddich Rare Collection is the brand’s first vatted vintage whisky; previous editions have been single-cask bottlings. The manner in which this whisky was selected is as impressive as the spirit itself. Malt master Brian Kinsman gathered the 13 worldwide Glenfiddich brand ambassadors together at the distillery and had them nose and taste vintages from 1973, 1974, and 1975. After an enthusiastic two-hour discussion, the group unanimously agreed that the 1974 vintage was superior. Honeyed, somewhat creamy in texture, and with top notes of marzipan and sherry, this 93.6-proof cask-strength single malt, which was aged in bourbon and sherry barrels, clearly makes 1974 a vintage for special occasions. Of the 1,000 bottles available worldwide, just 36 have been allocated to the United States. ($800)